CLEVELAND — The National Sports Collectors Convention is a popular event. It makes sense. It’s the largest annual sports collectibles trading show in the world, apparently. And it sure felt like it on opening day.
As WKYC’s Senior I-X Center Event Correspondent, I’ve covered more than my fair share of interest-specific gatherings.
I’ve done boat shows, auto shows, home & garden shows, garden & home Shows, cat shows, dog shows, comic book shows and some sort of unicorn-themed pageant, just to name a few.
Some were well-attended, others, a bit sparse. But I’ve never seen the place as packed as it was for this sports card convention. I had no idea this world had become so huge. This place is as packed as a meaningful Brazilian soccer match.
According to many people I spoke with, collecting was always popular but really blew up during the pandemic. We all responded differently to home confinement. Some people got in shape, I beat the original NES “Legend of Zelda” game several times, and apparently a bunch of people started scouring the internet for old Darryl Strawberry cards that were in decent shape. We all have a thing.
Over 600 vendors are now awaiting you in the festive, if congested I-X Center waiting to show their trading cards, jerseys and other memorabilia to fellow fans.
And the stars are out to play in the Hopkins neighborhood this weekend folks. The list of celebrities who are in town singing autographs at this convention is beyond impressive. But if I had to pick my must-sees, I’d make time for Randy Quaid, Johnny Manziel, Chevy Chase and The Cast of Cool Runnings. But here is the full list of stars for you perusal.
Have fun out there, sports fans!
Check out some videos of Mike checking out the convention on Thursday evening: